James Farry Snook (Beaver Springs, PA)

James F. Snook from 1931 report about the holdup at the bank.

James Farry Snook (Jan. 7, 1874 – Aug. 9, 1961)

Biography

James Farry Snook (1874-1961) served as a director and as cashier of the First National Bank of Beaver Springs from 1905 to 1951. In 1951 he retired from the cashier's position which he held since 1907, but continued to serve as a director until 1954. From 1954 to 1961 he served on the Advisory Board of the First National Bank of Middleburg. He was born in West Beaver Township, Snyder County on January 7, 1874, the son of Emanuel and Sophia Hassinger Snook. He was married to the former Emma Jane Kline (1874-1960) of McClure and they had two daughters, Eva and Mertie. Eva was a long time resident of the Danville State Hospital.

Mertie M. Snook was an Assistant Cashier in the FNB working for 33 years from 1918 until her untimely death of a heart attack in 1951. Her father, having worked with his daughter for over three decades, retired from cashier duties the same year. Mertie was married to Clair D. Lepley (1898-1963) and they lived on Main Street in Beaver Springs and he worked at the McClure shirt factory.

In an eventful evening of March 28,1931, James Snook departed his house adjoining the bank to go to the grocery store around 9 o'clock. A bandit entered Snook's house and when James returned he was held up and ordered to open the bank's vault. For two hours he sat staring into the barrel of the bandit's gun. The cashier argued with the thief telling him the bank's burglar alarm would ring even if he opened the vault and he would surely be caught. After two hours the bandit was convinced and took $4.25 from Snook's pocket and left.

Middleburg Chief of Police M.C. Werick shows 32-calibre Colt revolver used by Robert Fox, Lewistown, in his daylight robbery of the Beaver Springs First National Bank to Nerine Benfer, left, teller; Mertie M. Lepley, assistant cashier, second from Left, and J.F. Snook, cashier, right. Ensminger. Harrisburg Telegraph, August 6, 1947.

If 1931 wasn't eventful enough, 1947 would prove to be another memorable year. Lewistown horse-trader, Robert Fox, entered the bank on August 5, 1947, wearing a grotesque mask, pointed a gun at J.C. Snook and told the cashier to hand over the money that was behind the cage. Fox proceeded to stuff bills amounting to nearly $8,000 in his overalls and shirt, then backed out of the bank telling Snook and a woman teller, Nerine Benfer, to "make no alarm or I'll kill you." The State Police were notified immediately and set up road blocks to try to capture the lone gunman. Within an hour of the bank robbery a report was received from McClure that a car had crashed into a tree after failing to negotiate a sharp turn. When State Police arrived they found Fox unconscious with the bank money scattered about the car and on the ground. The entire $8,000 was recovered and returned to the bank, and Fox was taken to the nearby Sunbury Hospital. The gunman dropped one $50 bill when he was leaving and it was found by a small boy who returned it to the cashier's cage.

Snook said that the money came principally from trays in the cashier's cage. "There was a lot more money in the vault, but I did not give it to him," said Snook. Beaver Springs is a small Snyder county community of only 600, but the bank serves a wide rural area. The final count was $7,824 taken. District Attorney Horace W. Vought of Middleburg said he planned to prefer charges of bank robbery against Fox when he regained consciousness. Robert Fox did regain consciousness despite a possible fractured skull, concussion and multiple lacerations of the scalp, arms and legs from having been thrown from the car. By September, Fox was incarcerated in the Lycoming County jail pending presentment of his indictment. The maximum which he faced was 25 years of imprisonment for armed robbery. He received a 12-year sentence and entered the federal prison in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania where he received an operation on his infected jaw in the penitentiary hospital. Hospital physicians feared he may lose sight in a badly injured eye.

J.F. Snook died early in the morning of August 9th, 1961 in the Lewistown Hospital. At 87 years of age, he had been in failing health for the past year and a patient in the hospital for ten days. His pastor, Rev. Geraldine Shawda officiated over the interment at the Beaver Springs Cemetery. His wife Emma and daughter Eva are buried beside him.

Bank Officer Summary

During his banking career, J. F. Snook was involved with the following bank(s):

• First NB of Beaver Springs/First NB, Adamsburg/Beaver Springs, PA (Charter 5777): Cashier 1908-1951
• First National Bank, Middleburgh, PA (Charter 4156): advisory board

$20 Series 1882 Value Back bank note with pen signatures J. F. Snook, Cashier and A.A. Ulsh, President. Courtesy Heritage Auctions, http://www.ha.com

Sources

• James Farry Snook on Findagrave.com.
• Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://bbdata.banknotehistory.com
• The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA, Wed., Aug. 9, 1961.
• Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, PA Wed., Aug 6, 1947.
• The Selinsgrove Times-Tribune, Selinsgrove, PA, Thu., Aug. 7, 1947.
• Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, PA, Fri., Oct. 10, 1947.
• The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA, Thu., Dec. 26, 1963.